Chelsea FC 3-0 Valencia: Grading the Blues After Champions League Redemption
Andrรฉ Villas-Boas did it his way, dropping Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres, yet still winning 3-0 against Valencia in a must-win game.ย
Maybe this is the turning point forย Villas-Boas, who has been plagued with skepticism.ย
Here are the player grades for tonight's monumental victory over Valencia.ย
Feel free to comment below in reaction to these grades.ย
Goalkeeper: Petr ฤech
1 of 12Grade: A+
In the ninth minute,ย Petr ฤech made a brilliant save to denyย David Albelda's long-range bomb, who had never scored in a UEFA Champions League game.ย
Cech continued to make good saves, which was rewarded with a clean sheet.ย
Right Back: Branislav Ivanoviฤ
2 of 12Grade: A
Aside from underestimatingย Jordi Alba in the fifth minute,ย ย Branislav Ivanoviฤ did not put a foot wrong the entire game.ย
Again, he displayed why he should always be the right back instead ofย Josรฉ Bosingwa.
Centre Back: John Terry
3 of 12Grade: B
John Terry led the defence well and probably was in earshot of David Luiz, ensuring the Brazilian did not make headlines for the wrong reason.ย
Centre Back: David Luiz
4 of 12Grade: B
Aย faultlessย display from David Luiz, but aside from one trademark run, there wasn't the Luiz flair that we've come to love.ย
Sure, it makes him more reliable, but it doesn't make him ยฃ21.5 million special.ย
Hopefully, Luiz can find a healthy balance between the two moving forward.ย
Left Back: Ashley Cole
5 of 12Grade: B
Antonio Barragรกn's firstย forayย into Chelsea's defensive half was easily dealt with byย Ashley Cole.ย
This set a trend for the rest of the game. So much so that Barragรกn's only bright moment was picking on Juan Mata's defensive deficiencies.ย
Also, wasย Sofiane Feghouli even on the pitch? That's how well Cole played.ย
Defensive Midfielder: Oriol Romeu
6 of 12Grade: B
Oddly booked for a fair challenge, butย Oriol Romeu ran around, made tackles,ย distributedย the ball well and is playing his role well. ย
Centre Midfielder: Raul Meireles
7 of 12Grade: C+
Raul Meireles wasted possession and drifted in and out of the game.ย
Where was his presence in the centre?
If Frank Lampard is to continue warming the benches, why not giveย Josh McEachran a run in the team?
Though ifย Daniel Sturridge passed him the ball twice when he was open, perhapsย Meireles would have a brace and his grade would at least be a B+. ย
Centre Midfielder: Ramires
8 of 12Grade: A
I was surprisedย Vรญctor Ruiz played because he had been struggling with aย right adductor strain.ย
It showed tonight, asย Ramires tookย advantageย ofย Ruiz's comical defending.ย
Ramires is such an important player to the team because he is so selfless and is literally the engine room.ย
I was surprised he was substituted, but considering how well he played, I'm going to assume it's because he picked up an injury as opposed to a tactical reasoning.ย
Right Forward: Daniel Sturridge
9 of 12Grade: C
In the 27th minute,ย Daniel Sturridge should have either squared it toย Didier Drogba or put it through to the far post, whereย Raul Meireles had gotten free ofย Vรญctor Ruiz
Twenty-six minutes later, Sturridge should have squared it toย Meireles.ย
Sturridge needs to incorporate his teammates into the game.ย
It's not always about him regardless of how much of a precocious talent he is.ย
Centre Forward: Didier Drogba
10 of 12Grade: A+
Andrรฉ Villas-Boas' decision to startย Didier Drogba overย Fernando Torres has been vindicated.ย
Early on,ย Drogba chested the ball down to provide forย Raul Meireles, and thisย foreshadowedย what was to come: a great finish in the third minute to give Chelsea that crucial psychological advantage. ย
Chelsea spent the entire first half tormenting the Valencia defence, and in the 22nd minute, Villas-Boas played in Ramires to give Chelsea a 2-0 lead.ย
It was a good finish to ensure three points for Chelsea.ย
What impressed me was Drogba's work rate.ย
Man of the match.ย
Left Forward: Juan Mata
11 of 12Grade: A
Juan Mata is the architect, the orchestrator, the coordinator of Chelsea, though he's still not given a central position, even though heย basicallyย plays there.ย
In the 30th minute,ย Antonio Barragรกn easilyย wrong footed Mata and got into a strong position.
Barragรกn did it again in the 38th minute.ย
This againย reiteratesย Mata's weaknessโdefence.ย
So why play him out wide if he is burdened with tracking midfielders and full backs on his flank?
By doing this, Mata's main role of directing Chelsea's attacks is limited in some ways.
Your Opinion
12 of 12| Petr ฤech | A+ |
| Branislav Ivanoviฤ | A |
| John Terry | B |
| David Luiz | B |
| Ashley Cole | B |
| Oriol Romeu | B |
| Raul Meireles | C+ |
| Ramires | A |
| Daniel Sturridge | C |
| Didier Drogba | A+ |
| Juan Mata | A |
Please watchย Cristiano Ronaldo's 10 Greatest Goals for Real Madrid.ย
What do you think of the grades?
Who was your man of the match?ย







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